Before 2008, Tim Flynn wasn't looking to get into international
coaching.

Now he can't stop.

Flynn, one of the winningest boys' lacrosse coaches in the
country out of Mountain Lakes (N.J.) High School, will be the head
coach of the U.S. men's national U19 lacrosse team that will
compete in the 2012 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL)
World Championship in Turku, Finland. He was an assistant coach for
the U.S. gold medal team in 2008.

"It's a huge honor to be representing the United States and US
Lacrosse," Flynn said. "It's a little out of the realm of working
with my high school. Coaching at Mountain Lakes is a tremendous
opportunity for me year in and year out. There are great people,
great kids. It's a great situation.

"This is obviously very special being able to represent the
country, to work with some really outstanding young men in the
United States, and to represent US Lacrosse and the USA is quite a
thrill."

Flynn only applied to be a U.S. assistant after he was convinced
it wouldn't take away from his commitment to his Mountain Lakes
team. He found something special in helping the U19 team to
gold.

"After the experience of 2008, the positive feeling of helping
bring that team together, it was definitely a fantastic
experience," Flynn said. "Certainly it's a huge challenge. The
competition is severe. I want to help the national team as much as
I can."

The U19 national team has never lost a world championship. In
2008, Flynn focused on the midfield and took on the role of the box
coach, a critical role given how tightly international officials
monitor the box.

"Timmy jumped in and did a great job of it," said 2008 head
coach Chuck Apel. "He'll do a great job with the team."

Apel knows that well from coaching with Flynn in 2008, and too
well from coaching against him in high school. Apel's
Bridgewater-Raritan High School team was Flynn's 500th career win
in 2009, as Flynn became just the sixth coach in the country to
reach that plateau. This year is his 32nd at Mountain Lakes.

"I think they're always ready to play and play hard," Apel said.
"He gets the most out of his team. He's always done that. They've
had a lot of different kinds of kids, but they play their style.
They've had phenomenal success."

Said Brian Kasel, a Mountain Lakes graduate who scored three
goals in their last state title win: “A day hasn’t gone
by without me thinking about the great experiences I had playing
for Coach Flynn. The paths to the back-to-back state championship
wins against Delbarton are some of the greatest memories I have.
Coach Flynn is one of the most dedicated and tenacious coaches in
the game. Playing for him was like nothing else.”

Flynn's Lakers have won eight state titles, the last in 2008
before he enjoyed his first foray into international coaching.

"I think it's definitely a help to have been an assistant,"
Flynn said. "You get your eyes opened up to a lot of different
things. It's a matter of picking the team and moving the team
around and preparing the team.

"There are challenges in that you don't have a tremendous amount
of time with the team. You have to take every minute very
seriously. There's a lot of planning, and you have to bring it
together."

It will be another month before the assistant coach selections
are finalized and six months before the pool of players begins to
whittle down. University of Denver men's lacrosse coach Bill
Tierney, who formerly coached at Princeton University in New
Jersey, believes that Flynn is the perfect choice to guide the
group.

"Coaching a U.S. or national team is a fine line between
overdoing it and trusting your staff and trusting the best players
in the country," said Tierney, who was head coach of the gold
medal-winning 1998 U.S. men's senior team. "Timmy is the perfect
person for that. He's a fun guy and he's got no ego. I think he'll
combine those skills and do a great job."

Jim Stagnitta has known Flynn for over 20 years. The Rutgers
University men's coach admires Flynn's dedication to the sport.

"There are a couple things that separate him," Stagnitta said.
"As long as he's been involved in this, his intensity and passion,
it seems to get more driven every year. What's unique about him is
he's able to instill that passion in the kids that play for
him.

"He's great at managing people," he added. "He relates to kids.
His ability to relate to players has been timeless."

Stagnitta still sees Flynn at clinics and practices trying to
absorb new knowledge as he tries to improve on his Mountain Lakes
career record that now stands at 523-101.

Said Stagnitta: "I don't think he's ever sat back and rested and
enjoyed what he's accomplished to this point."

An all-conference midfielder at Montclair State, Flynn is part
of a lacrosse family. His wife Betsy remains close to his Mountain
Lakes team and his former players. Their daughter Kim married
another New Jersey high school coach, and their grandchildren
already have sticks in their hands. His family extends to a network
of past players who are now assistants at Mountain Lakes or at
rival high schools.

Flynn's love for the game has taken him to several open world
championships, but before 2008, it had only been as a fan.

Interest in the 2012 head coaching position was at an all-time
high, but Flynn emerged as the selection for the top spot. Perhaps
the best advice for the man now entrusted to deliver a seventh
straight world title comes from Apel.